Three churches among properties added to NH State Register of Historic Places

The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources is pleased to announce that the State Historical Resources Council has added four properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places.

The State Register has helped to promote the significance of many historic properties across New Hampshire. Benefits of being listed on the State Register include:

Special consideration and relief from some building codes and regulations;

Designation of a property as historical, which is a pre-qualification for many grant programs, including Conservation License Plate grants and New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) grants; and

Acknowledgment of a property’s historical significance in the community.

The following are the most recent additions to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places:

Nashua’s St. Francis Xavier Church was built in 1898 for the industrial city’s growing Franco-American community. An uncommon New Hampshire example of the Norman Gothic Revival style, it is considered the most ambitious church designed by Timothy O’Connell of the architectural firm Chickering and O’Connell, which specialized in church design.

Host to the town clock, Farmington’s First Congregational Church is an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style with beautiful stained glass windows. It is the earliest identified commission for architect Frederick Nathaniel Footman, who was born in Somersworth and went on to design such notable buildings as the Strafford County Alms House, Laconia High School and the American Brewing Company in Boston.

Built in 1829-30, the Federal-style Congregational Church in Wentworth was divided internally into two floors in 1867 in response to the Toleration Act of 1819, which required municipal and religious services to have separate venues. A landmark on the town common, the church is noteworthy for its prominent three-stage tower, which incorporates urns, balustrades, fluted Doric pilasters and other architectural details.

Also in Wentworth, the Stevens-Currier House is a well-preserved example of an 18th-century cape, which was the most common type of house in the town through 1850. Records indicate that it may have been built by the local blacksmith, who relocated with his family to Wentworth on an ox sled. As with many farms in the area, it was later used as a summer home.

Anyone wishing to nominate a property to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places must research the history of the nominated property and document it fully on individual inventory forms from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Having a property listed in the Register does not impose restrictions on property owners. For more information, visit nh.gov/nhdhr.

New Hampshire’s Division of Historical Resources, the “State Historic Preservation Office,” was established in 1974. The historical, archaeological, architectural and cultural resources of New Hampshire are among its most important environmental assets. Historic preservation promotes the use, understanding and conservation of such resources for the education, inspiration, pleasure and enrichment of New Hampshire’s citizens. For more information, visit nh.gov/nhdhr or call 603-271-3483.